Short term cleaning fee set to $0 by AirBnB

[Mary5092]

I had a strange situation come up. I received a last minute booking for this weekend for 2 nights but no cleaning fee was charged. We have a fairly high cleaning fee of $225 because we are set up for 14 guests and we have outsourced cleaning and laundry. We had some pretty steep discounts already because of the upcoming unbooked weekend. As you can imagine, it was a pretty big disappointment to realize we lost out on 40% of our take home income.

After looking into it, I realized there's a new "short-term" cleaning fee. AirBnB set this to $0 without our knowledge! We spoke to AirBnB support but were told "we make changes all the time and it's your responsibility to watch for them."

We quickly updated our cleaning fee, but now we're out of pocket $235.

I actually like the ability to vary the fee to make short stays more appealing but I'm shocked by how we were treated. Did anyone else have this happen to them? Was I the only one not aware?

[Judy983]

I sent this response to airbnb:

 

 

 I’m hoping we can all keep after them and get this resolved!

[Judy983]

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Airbnb-platform-error-no-cleaning-fees-ap...

check it out !

Admission !

I urge everyone to post at the above link

[Breanna]

As another member mentioned in a link to another thread, we have come to know that this is a bug in Airbnb's iPhone and iPad apps that impacted cleaning fees on some listings. Airbnb is actively investigating the issue and will be in touch again soon.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

[Judy983]

Please compensate affected hosts. Airbnb must take responsibility for the financial impact on hosts and provide refunds for the lost cleaning fees during the period when the error occurred.

And please improve host communication. Hosts should be kept informed about the progress of resolving this issue. Transparency is crucial in rebuilding trust.

Failure to address this matter promptly could have a lasting negative impact on

Airbnb's reputation and the trust of hosts in your platform. I trust that Airbnb, as a respected and reputable company, will take immediate action to rectify this situation and ensure that hosts are fairly compensated for the losses they have incurred.

[Judy983]

Subject: Concerns About Airbnb's Communication Regarding App Bug and Cleaning Fee Reimbursement

I am writing to express my concerns about the recent communication regarding an alleged bug in Airbnb's iPhone app and the associated reimbursement of cleaning fees to hosts.

It has come to my attention that Airbnb reported the discovery of a bug in their iPhone app, which they claim resulted in erroneous cleaning fee charges to hosts. While I appreciate the transparency in acknowledging the issue, I am deeply troubled by the lack of clarity and prompt action in resolving this matter.

As a host, I take great care to provide a clean and welcoming environment for our guests. The cleaning fee is crucial for maintaining the high standard of cleanliness and hygiene that we promise to our guests. Any unauthorized zero cleaning fee charges or reimbursements, especially without proper communication or resolution, significantly impact our hosting experience.

My concerns are twofold:

1. Transparency and Communication: The lack of clear and timely communication about this bug and the subsequent reimbursement process is a cause for distress. Hosts rely on Airbnb's platform to provide consistent and accurate information, and this incident has eroded our trust in the platform.

2. Timely Resolution: It is essential that Airbnb addresses this issue promptly and ensures that affected hosts receive their rightful reimbursements without unnecessary delay. Hosts should not be burdened with chasing after refunds for charges they did not incur.

I kindly request that Airbnb take immediate and decisive action to:

- Ensure that affected hosts, including myself, receive the reimbursement of any erroneous zero dollar cleaning fees without further delay.
- Implement measures to prevent such issues from occurring in the future.

I believe that these steps are necessary to restore trust and confidence in Airbnb's platform. As a loyal host, I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a swift and satisfactory resolution.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Kyle-and-Jessica0]

I had the same thing happen and I'm working woth airbnb now. Hoping I have a different resolution than you experienced! 

[Pedro-and-Emily0]

This is still happening. Airbnb blames the third party pricing softwares. Sounds like a pressure tactic to push hosts to use Airbnb’s pricing algorithm instead of a third party’s. Feel anti-competitive and monopolistic. 

[Judy983]

Hilarious. I don’t use any third party apps but still had the problem. They reimbursed me 95% of two of the three fees they omitted from my bookings. I think this was a HUGE cover up by Airbnb. Ignore us, put us off, wear us down, partial refunds, they won. I’m too busy running my listings to keep fighting. My time is worth more. 

[Shandrika0]

I have had a similar issue where my cleaning fee was reduced without my knowledge and when I called they made me feel it was some change that  did. I Escalated that issue and waiting in the response.  

[Mark5552]

Hi, 

I just opened up for the season and saw I was getting no cleaning fees.  I did not set the optional discount.  I have 50 more bookings this summer who will not be charged a cleaning fee.   I know it is not much but for my small business it is 750 dollars.  I will call in the morning and complain. 

[Mark5552]

Just for an update.  I am still working with AirBnb on this and it has been difficult.  They admitted to the bug and are slated to refund me $300 of the $840 I have lost from this bug.  I am still trying to get the rest, and the bug has already been proven via my emails, so I am not sure why they cannot just refund the extra small amount.

Anyway in my research I have found 2 things.

1. the Activities log is under Menu option on the browser.  You can see you change things but not what the value is, but you can prove that through bookings.

2. A host CANNOT set the 1,2 day short stay to $0 dollars.  The save option is not activated.  A host can either give a discount of some amount or not give a discount at all.  Again, and this is important.

A HOST CAN NOT SET A SHORT STAY DISCOUNT TO $0 DOLLARS!!!!!!! 

Try it.  This can only be from a bug. 

[Mark5552]

Update 2:  Well, it took 2 weeks but Airbnb will be refunding me the full amount of the cleaning fees for my 56 bookings.   There was just no denying it was a bug as it was impossible for me to create the situation.

Airbnb software is littered with bugs.  When Airbnb support called to tell me they would reimburse me I informed them of a new bug I saw last night.   

After working with Airbnb for 10 years now I have to say this.   Bad software does not equal bad service.   I can't think of a better help desk.  Honestly, they have come to my aid with dozens of bookings and bugs and the people who man the phones have been 100% helpful.  Kudos to the help desk staff and thank you Airbnb for realizing your software stinks and for training your staff so well.